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Ģ For more details, see: Post-Office Department, Annual Reports for the Fiscal Year Ended June 30, 1900. (Washington, DC: US Government Printing Office, 1976), 807 US Postal Regulatory Commission, “History of Postcard Rates,” United States Postal Regulatory Commission, last modified 2012, USPS Historian, “Rates for Stamped Cards and Postcards Since 1873,” United States Postal Service, last modified January 2013. United States Department of Commerce, Historical Statistics of the United States: Colonial Times to 1970, Bicentennial ed. “ Guide to Dating Curt Teich Postcards,” (PDF) Curt Teich Archives, Newberry Library.ġ The postage rates for postcards have been compiled from three separate sources. Leah Tams, “ The Mystery of the Undated Postcards,” The Bigger Picture (blog), Smithsonian Institution Archives, July 23, 2013. “ Evolution of the Smithsonian Postcard,” Smithsonian Institution Archives. “ Postcard History,” Smithsonian Institution Archives. This dating guide compiled by the Curt Teich Archives, a wonderful wealth of images and information, provides detailed information about the postcard print numbers and dates. It is easier to give Curt Teich postcards an approximate date because the postcards’ print numbers correspond to production years. Many of the postcards we have at the Archives were printed by Curt Teich & Co. Curt Teich was the largest volume printer of these types of postcards in the world from the 1920s to the 1940s. Today postcards vary greatly in size and shape, so it is more difficult to use size to date them-but if the size or shape of the postcards differs from the above standards, it’s safe to assume that they were probably made within the past few decades.Ĭurt Teich & Co., a postcard printing company, operated from 1898-1978 and specialized in view (postcards that have scenic views) and advertising postcards.
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In the 1960s, some printers began producing 4 x 6 inch postcards.
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After 1901, postcards typically measured 3.5 x 5.5 inches, although variations in size exist. The Private Mailing Card Act of May 19, 1898, stipulated that private mailing cards measure 3.25 x 5.5 inches. This treaty set the maximum size for postcards produced by governments of member nations at 3.5 x 5.5 inches. On June 1, 1878, the General Postal Union, an international postal organization, signed a new treaty, changing its name to the Universal Postal Union. 3 Privately produced postcards, also known as private mailing cards, did not need to adhere to the government restrictions. In the early stages of postcard production, government-produced postcards varied in size, depending on the type of postcard. This rate for privately produced postcards went down to $0.01 on May 19, 1898, with the passage of the Private Mailing Card Act. 2 The postage for privately produced postcards was $0.02. However, depending on which government-produced postcard it was, the postage could range between $0.01 to $0.04. *The postage rate for most government-produced postcards was $0.01. The following list is postage for postcards mailed within the United States. Not all postcards have the required postage amount printed on them, so this method can only be used in instances when the postage is known. The rate of postage for postcards has changed throughout time and can be used to find an approximate date for postcards.